(Kelly McCarthy/ ABC News) — Deaths from cancer have gradually decreased over the last 26 years, with the largest single-year drop ever recorded in the last decade.
The death rate in the U.S. declined by 29% from 1991 to 2017, according to the annual statistics from the American Cancer Society, which the health organization said was “due to long-term drops in death rates in the 4 most common cancer types: lung, colorectal, breast, and prostate.”
The record drop of 2.2% from 2016 to 2017 was driven by the decline in overall deaths from lung cancer.
The ACS said this steady drop “translates into an estimated 2.9 million fewer cancer deaths” compared to if the rate at its peak in 1991 had persisted.
“Deaths fell from about 3% per year from 2008 to 2013 to 5% from 2013 to 2017 in men and from 2% to almost 4% in women,” the statistics showed. “However, lung cancer is still the leading cause of cancer death.” (…)